


Body Electric

by feentanz



Series: Multichapters [12]
Category: Nikolai Series - Leigh Bardugo, The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Angst, Bedsharing, Eventual Smut, F/M, Smut, thats it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:28:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23598385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feentanz/pseuds/feentanz
Summary: “Look what you’re doing to me, Nazyalensky,” he breathed against the shell of her ear, his lips grazing the side of her neck. His thumb pressed against the lace of her bra again, and this time she moved some more, grinding her lower body against his. Nikolai exhaled sharply, his grip around her tightening. “Stop torturing me,” he muttered against her skin, and Zoya couldn’t stop the little grin from spreading across her lips. But she hadn’t even started yet.
Relationships: Nikolai Lantsov/Zoya Nazyalensky
Series: Multichapters [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/734664
Comments: 6
Kudos: 51





	Body Electric

“I really hope that this is a joke.” Zoya’s voice was sharp and her eyes narrowed when she turned to Nikolai, inspecting his face. She didn’t look as threatening as usual, with rain dripping from her hair and clothes, but her gaze was piercing nonetheless. “I’m not staying in this room with you!” 

Nikolai took in the small room, closing the door behind himself before Zoya’s outburst drew any more attention. “I asked for two beds,” he clarified. He had, but the place was crowded anyway, and they just really needed to get out of this rain. 

Zoya’s blue eyes flashed and she turned away, wrapping her arms around herself as if that would do any good. She was shaking from the cold, and the room wasn’t much warmer than the air outside. Wet hair was clinging to her face, and raindrops made her skin glow almost silver. 

“You should change out of those clothes,” Nikolai offered. “I’ll go downstairs to see if they have anything hot to drink.” 

Zoya didn’t react, only blew a strand of hair away from her face. 

Nikolai just assumed that to be an agreement and left the room. He took his time downstairs, purposely trying to spend as much time as possible carrying the tea upstairs. 

This had been a terrible idea from the start. They never should have separated from the group, but Zoya had insisted on them staying behind to do some more matchmaking for him, and now they were hours away from the capital and had been caught in a storm. 

When Nikolai returned to the room, Zoya was sitting on the edge of the bed, surprisingly wearing  _ his  _ wool sweater, arms wrapped around herself and still shivering. It took Nikolai a moment to comprehend that fact. 

Zoya Nazyalensky wearing his sweater. 

He wasn’t quite sure what to do with that information. 

Her eyes darted up when he came in, and immediately her walls locked back in place. Zoya retreated on the bed until her back was against the wall, as far away from him as possible. 

Nikolai pretended not to notice, setting the tea down on the nightstand instead. He still felt Zoya’s gaze on him, watching his every move. He was also still dripping wet, which was rather unfortunate. 

“You should have changed before going downstairs,” Zoya suddenly commented, reaching for one of the cups and warming her hands. She was slightly frowning, almost judgmental. But her hands were still shaking. Her whole  _ body  _ was still shaking. 

Nikolai clenched his jaw, turning away from her and dropping his wet jacket to the floor. His shirt followed, and he could have sworn Zoya’s eyes followed his every move. But when he glanced over his shoulder she was staring down into her teacup, blowing some steam away. 

He slipped out of his trousers - too aware of Zoya right behind him - changing into the spare pair of clothing he had brought. 

His general was still backed up against the wall when he sank down on the edge of the bed, regarding him with a sharp look as he sat. “What?” 

Nikolai huffed, taking a sip of tea and almost burning his lips. “You’re shaking,” he noticed. 

Her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t deny it. Instead, she took another sip of tea. “So what.” 

They finished their tea in silence after that. Nikolai didn’t want to think too long about the one bed they had, or about how they were going to spend the night. He would have offered to sleep on the floor, but considering how cold he was he didn’t want to risk Zoya freezing to death during the night. 

Or, that was the excuse he used to justify what he said next. 

“Lie down,” he ordered when Zoya finished her tea, setting her cup down on the night table. Some dark hair had fallen into her face, wet strands clinging to her cheeks. That’s why she was freezing, Nikolai suddenly realized. Her hair was wet. 

She regarded him with a suspicious look, not moving an inch. “I’m not sleeping in this bed with you, Your Highness.” She added a honey-sweet smile, dripping of sarcasm. 

Nikolai rolled his eyes, already lying down. The bed barely offered room for two people, and Zoya had to press her back against the wall to get away from him. “We need to use body heat, Nazyalensky,” he replied. “Right now is not the time to be shy.” He smirked. “So far no one has complained about being in bed with me.”   
  
Zoya snorted, but she still didn’t move. “I’ll sleep on the floor.” 

“Lie down,” Nikolai repeated. “That’s an order.” 

For a second she looked like she wanted to start an argument, but then her resistance melted. Without a word Zoya sank down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. She still kept her head turned to the wall as if she was determined not to look at him. 

And yet it was hard not to pay attention to the heat of her body, to how close they really were right now. Nikolai couldn’t help his staring. Or, his mind turning traitor. 

But Zoya was still trembling against him, and that was a more urgent matter right now. Nikolai tore his eyes off her face, hesitating for a second before he carefully wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her closer. “Please don’t kill me for this.”   
  
Zoya tensed at the movement but didn’t protest. She kept perfectly still, the slight hitch in her breathing when he brushed some hair away from her neck the only indication that she had even noticed. Instead, Zoya kept her gaze trained at the wall, apparently determined to ignore him entirely. 

He admired her self-control. He seemed to have none of it. 

Mostly because he could feel her  _ everywhere _ . The scent of her hair was clouding his senses, and Nikolai was finding it increasingly hard to breathe. He moved slightly, trying to make himself more comfortable, his breath grazing the skin of her neck in the process. 

Zoya shuddered, although he suspected that it wasn’t only from the cold. “Can you just stop moving,” she muttered. 

Nikolai smirked, not able to stop himself from leaning in closer, making sure his breath was caressing her neck again. “Why,” he whispered. “Scared you can’t resist me, Nazyalensky?” 

Zoya rolled onto her back, her face suddenly so close to his that Nikolai had trouble keeping a blank expression. Her blue eyes peered up at him for a moment, now clearly judgmental. “You’re bordering on desperate, Your Highness.” 

He huffed, trying to keep his gaze from dropping to her lips, from staring too obviously.  _ What had he gotten himself into here?  _ Perhaps sleeping on the floor was not such a bad alternative, after all. 

Zoya had turned away again, her eyes now closed. But her breathing was still uneven, her body tense. And she still had not stopped shaking. 

Nikolai rested his head against the pillows, pulling her a little closer against him, partly for warmth and partly for another reason, which he didn’t dare to consider at the present moment. 

Surprisingly, she didn’t protest this time. Instead, Zoya slipped a little closer. 

“Feeling cold?” he commented, his hands carefully skimming over the fabric of the sweater, not wanting to push it too far. Although he was dying to feel more of her skin against his. 

“Naturally,” Zoya muttered. “It’s freezing in here.” She nudged even closer against him, not even an inch separating them anymore. 

Nikolai brushed some more hair away, his lips almost touching her neck now. He could feel the rhythm of her breathing. He could feel  _ everything.  _ He had been able to work with Zoya for so long, because he hadn’t allowed himself to see her any other way, as more than his general. Because he had turned his eyes away from her before his mind turned traitor, stopped himself from marveling at her beauty. And yet right now, there was nowhere to go. 

And all he could think about was  _ her.  _

He leaned forward, his lips barely grazing the shell of her ear. Only the ghost of a touch. “Are you still freezing?” 

Zoya kept perfectly still, her eyes closed. But her long lashes were fluttering ever so slightly. “Are you offering to warm me?” she muttered under her breath, and yet not quiet enough for him to overhear. 

“Would you object if I did?” His lips were still so close to her skin. It was torture not to lean down, and yet he wanted to wait for Zoya to give a sign first. To make sure that this wasn’t just him imagining things. 

Zoya seemed to hesitate, opening her eyes again. “You could convince me,” she said eventually, still with lethal softness. It was barely more than a whisper in the silence. 

“Could I,” Nikolai mused, his hand, at last, finding its way under the sweater. Zoya’s breathing hitched ever so slightly when he grazed the skin of her abdomen, drawing lazy circles. She shuddered again, leaning into the touch by pressing her back a little tighter against him. 

She was going to drive him insane. 

Nikolai’s fingers brushed over her stomach, then higher, along the side of her ribcage. Zoya was barely breathing. Her skin was cool under his fingertips, but she had stopped trembling, her eyes almost shut. 

Nikolai leaned in closer, his lips only barely grazing the skin of her neck. She smelled like wildflowers, even now, and for a second the scent dared to cloud his senses. His fingers brushed the band of Zoya’s bra, and he hesitated for a second too long before returning to her abdomen. 

His lips brushed her neck again and this time he allowed himself to linger, softly nipping at the skin.  _ This should not be happening.  _ He was aware, and yet he couldn’t even think about stopping. Not now. 

Zoya’s breathing was uneven when he kissed along the side of her neck, her lashes fluttering softly. She leaned into the touch, turning her head to expose more of her throat. Nikolai’s hand skimmed across her stomach, then higher, waiting for her reaction. She didn’t tense, so he ran his fingers over the lace of her bra, his thumb brushing along the underside of her breast. It was the briefest of touches but Zoya arched her back, her ass suddenly pressing against his groin. Nikolai had to stifle a groan at the touch. 

What was she  _ doing  _ to him? 

_ They weren’t supposed to be doing this.  _ Zoya tried to shut out the treacherous thoughts as Nikolai’s hand went higher, as she wanted nothing more but to arch into his touch. Her breathing hitched as his thumb pressed against the lace of her bra, even the brief touch enough to send shivers racing over her skin. 

And she wanted more. Desperately wanted more. 

She arched her back into the touch automatically, her heart missing a beat as she realized that she was now pressing her back against Nikolai. He was hard against her already, and somehow that was an entirely different sensation. 

“Look what you’re doing to me, Nazyalensky,” he breathed against the shell of her ear, his lips grazing the side of her neck. His thumb pressed against the lace of her bra again, and this time she moved some more, grinding her lower body against his. 

Nikolai exhaled sharply, his grip around her tightening. “Stop torturing me,” he muttered against her skin, and Zoya couldn’t stop the little grin from spreading across her lips. 

But she hadn’t even started yet. 

“Where’s the fun in that, Your Highness?” She attempted to move her hips again but this time Nikolai was faster, his grip pinning her down on the mattress. 

“My turn,” he whispered and then his hand was slipping lower, dangerously low. 

Zoya exhaled sharply as his fingers brushed the waistband of her pants. They were in dangerous territory. A little further, and there would be no going back, for neither of them. And yet she wasn’t sure if she really wanted to stop. 

Nikolai’s fingers circled along her lower abdomen, then her thighs, sending shivers racing across her skin. 

Zoya struggled against his grip, attempting to grind herself against him, but without success. “Nikolai,” she muttered, half trailing off as his other hand came up to cup her breast, his thumb pressing down on her peaked nipple. She wasn’t thinking straight anymore. At this point, it was unimportant how many rules they were breaking. 

His lips skimmed along her neck, his breath hot against her cold skin. “Maybe if you asked nicely,” he whispered, his voice coming out hoarse. 

Zoya shuddered, trying to keep her breathing flat. She didn’t want him to know how much this was affecting her. She pressed her lips together when Nikolai’s hand dipped lower again, playing with the waistband of her pants, fingers tracing over her now bare skin. “This does nothing to warm me,” she muttered under her breath, trying to keep her voice from trembling and betraying her. 

Nikolai chuckled against her neck, the movement echoing through her body. “I think I’m feeling generous today, Nazyalensky.”

Zoya felt her heartbeat shooting up - and she was all too aware that he could probably tell - as his hands slipped under the waistband of her pants, tracing bare skin. She bit her lip to keep herself silent as Nikolai circled around her clit, slowly applying more pressure as he was apparently trying to drive her insane. 

Zoya pressed herself closer against him, needing more contact, feeling Nikolai smirk against her skin while his lips nipped at her neck. 

“Feeling warm just yet?” he mused, his hot breath trailing over her skin, making her shiver. 

She wasn’t even able to form words anymore. 

Nikolai quickened his movements, and Zoya hated herself a little for how breathless she already was. Her whole body was on fire. She might as well have been burning alive. 

She whimpered as he slipped one finger inside her, not able to stop herself in time. She arched her back, pressing herself against his hand to get more friction. Nikolai was still smirking, thrusting inside her faster, his other hand lazily playing with her nipple. 

She hated how much he was enjoying this. And she hated how much  _ she  _ was enjoying it.

Zoya felt herself drifting closer to the edge, her lashes fluttering shut as she nudged closer to Nikolai, his warmth, his body. She didn’t care anymore. She couldn’t stay away. 

He sensed her shift in mood, a second finger pushing inside her, quickening his pace. Nikolai was smirking when he pressed a kiss to her shoulder blade, his thumb moving to circle around her clit again. 

Zoya was trembling in his arms when she came, not able to hold back a soft moan. She could barely breathe, her lungs refusing to take in any air. She had stopped feeling the cold. Stopped feeling anything that wasn’t Nikolai. 

His kisses grew softer, lips only barely touching her neck anymore. 

And yet, she wanted more. Zoya hesitated for half a second, in which she considered what she was about to do next, and then ignored all her better judgment all the same. She turned, the high of her orgasm still rattling through her, her face suddenly so close to Nikolai’s that she only would have needed to move an inch to kiss him. 

She didn’t even get the chance. 

Nikolai was already kissing her, his lips crashing against hers with enough force to push her onto her back. Nikolai towered over her, arms on either side of her head, deepening the kiss as he pressed her further into the pillows. Zoya opened her lips under his, his tongue flicking against hers, and another wave of heat hit her so suddenly that she had trouble breathing. 

He tore his lips away from hers, instead kissing down her throat, sucking the sensitive skin into his mouth. Zoya tipped her head back to allow him better access, and another moan escaped her. 

She wasn’t thinking when she pulled his shirt over his head, and she wasn’t thinking when he pulled the fabric of her sweater up either. His lips skimmed over her chest and Zoya whimpered when he kissed down her stomach, arching her back into the touch. 

She didn’t care anymore if they were making a mistake, if they were ruining everything they had built during the last three years. 

Nothing else mattered, not for a little while. 

Zoya awoke with the sun shining into their room, and for a second she couldn’t remember where she was. 

Until she noticed that she was still wrapped up in Nikolai’s arms, that his breath was still grazing her neck. Until reality came crashing down on her. 

_ What had she done?  _

Zoya sat up so suddenly that Nikolai next to her groaned, almost falling off the bed. Not that she cared, right now. She ran a hand through her hair, fingers shaking again. She wasn’t sure if it was the cold or the panic. Probably a bit of both. 

Nikolai was blinking now, slowly rolling onto his back. “What happened?” he muttered, voice heavy with sleep. He was still shirtless, a fact that Zoya really didn’t appreciate right now. 

She was out of the bed before he could finish the sentence, bringing more space between them. Fighting her rising panic. How could she have been so  _ stupid?  _ This was worse than her fling with Mal. 

Nikolai was sitting up slowly, gaze following her movements. He was unusually silent. Waiting for her to say something. 

Only that she had nothing to tell him. “We should go,” Zoya said into the silence. “We need to get back to the capital.” She took a deep breath, determined to ignore the way Nikolai was staring at her, the way that look made her feel. She didn’t want to consider these things. 

She turned her back towards him then, but she could still hear him getting up behind her. Nikolai ignored her attempt to shut him out, stepping right in front of her so she was forced to look at him. His gaze was imploring, scanning her face. “What’s wrong?”

_ How could he even ask?  _ Zoya swallowed hard, lifting her chin. “You know exactly what’s wrong.” Her voice was sharp, but not sharp enough. 

His expression hardened a little. “I don’t regret it.”   
  
“Well, I do,” Zoya snapped before she could change her mind, turning away from him. She felt too vulnerable under his gaze. Too exposed. “It shouldn’t have happened.” 

Nikolai was silent for a moment, but she could have sworn hurt flashed across his features. “You didn’t mind last night.” 

Zoya collected her jacket from the floor, the fabric still damp from the rain, although she slipped into it all the same. “We need to go,” she repeated. 

Nikolai snorted, shaking his head. “So you’re going to run away now?” 

Zoya tensed, wrapping the jacket closer around herself like that would do any good. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” It took all her self-control to even speak the words. But only yesterday morning had she played royal matchmaker, and she couldn’t allow herself to get sidetracked now. Nikolai needed a wife, an heir, a line of succession. She wasn’t fit to give him any of those things. And so she took a deep breath. “Last night was a mistake,” she said, deliberately not looking in his direction. “I was just looking for a distraction.” The lie felt wrong on her lips, and yet it needed to be said. 

Nikolai dropped his gaze, shaking his head as he turned away. But she hadn’t missed the hurt in his eyes. 

Zoya felt the unwelcome prickle of tears in her eyes but she blinked them away, collecting the rest of her things and walking towards the door. “I’ll wait downstairs,” was all she said before she left, practically fleeing the room. 

She didn’t want to look at him anymore and be reminded of the way he had kissed her, or the words he had whispered against her skin, or how she had fallen asleep in his arms. 

She didn’t allow herself that weakness. 


End file.
